December
by The May Waters
Summary: Little daily drabbles for the Christmas Season where James and Lily slowly realize they love each other. It's a magical time of the year. "If we make it through December we'll be fine." -Merle Haggard
1. December 1

December

By May Waters

-oOo-

December 1

"Deck the hall with boughs of Holly, tra la la la la la la la la." Sirius yelled at the top of his lungs. James hung his head in shame, every year on December first Sirius would belt out the lyrics to every Christmas song he knew, which was three total.

"You really like Christmas?" Lily asked coming up behind the four.

"Have to spread the Christmas joy somehow!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly turning around so he was walking backwards.

James' shoulders had straightened and his posture was a little better, but he had yet to look behind them. Remus kept glancing over his shoulder every so often to make sure she was still there, and Peter dropped back to walk next to her.

"Oh great Christmas Merlin went dancing round the witches trial," Sirius continued to belt out lyrics to an old wizarding favorite in Christmas music.

"What on earth is that song even about?" Lily asked bumping Peter's shoulder lightly with hers.

"I don't even completely understand it, I never learned it until he started singing it around the dorm in first year."

"All I can gather is it's about Merlin and how he tried to save people from burning at the stake in the king's kingdom by dancing around proclaiming madness." Remus tried to interpret.

"What?" Lily giggled, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"So Merlin made the yule tree spin with sparkling boughs till it was a chandelier!" Sirius finished up. James pushed him over so it would take him a while before he could burst into one of his few Christmas songs again.

"Merlin and the Chandelier is about how he decorated the castle for Christmas, he impressed the king with his own magic so he could gain favor in the courts, and protected a few generations of witches and wizards from the witch hunts. Merlin is a hero to pureblood lines everywhere, sometimes they did catch members of wizarding community and manage to kill them. This at least protected the community for a while and who wouldn't want a chandelier made out of a Christmas tree?" James explained. Lily blinked, Remus covered his smile with his hand, and Peter's jaw dropped open.

"Now there's no mystery behind it Prongs," Sirius complained.

"I want to know more about this story though," Lily hopped forward staring up at James with wide eyes, her hands clasped safely behind her back.

"I'm probably not the best to learn the story from." His hand shot up to mess up his hair automatically.

"I think you'll tell it just fine." She reassured him. It was then Sirius chose to break out into the third Christmas carol and they were forced to duck into a hidden passageway before Sirius noticed they were gone. However, Sirius' shouts of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" seemed to be wherever they went.


	2. December 2

December 2

"Done with Christmas songs are we?" Lily asked upon seeing the Marauders the next morning.

"Oh don't get him to start on those again." Peter groaned.

"Why? You want to hear the story of Merlin and the Chandelier again?" Sirius winked.

"No thank you, I think I'm good on dancing wizards and Christmas trees." Lily made a small noise which sounded like the beginning of a laugh, a wide grin on her face. "What are you lot up to today?"

"We're off to visit Hagrid before the snow settles in." Remus explained.

"Want to come with us? He always had Hot Chocolate around this time of year." James grinned and reached out a hand for hers.

"Yes please, you can get a girl to do anything for chocolate." Lily took James hand and let him lead her down the hall.

"Anything?" Sirius' head snapped up at the prospect.

"Chocolate doesn't buy you a one night stand."

"I was not thinking about a one night stand, how you dare depict me in that light!" Sirius looked insulted, Lily lifted one eyebrow. "Alright, but it was worth the thought."

"The poor woman you end up married to," Peter shook his head.

"Au contraire, my dear friend, I'm never going to get married." Sirius went off into a long explanation about his love life and why it was perfect for him not the settle down. Lily and James exchanged annoyed glances and took up a conversation about their school work and the load which had come with N.E.W.T. year.

-oOo-

"I had a really fun time with all of you today." Lily told the four men brightly as they walked back up the stone path to the castle.

"So there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up, which I'm sure you know about, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with us." James proposed.

"All four of you, or just you?" Lily asked, he didn't see the longing in her eyes for him to say only them, nor the fact she was biting her lip to try and draw in his attention.

"All of us as a big group," Remus wanted to hit James for his assertion, Sirius had to be held back by Peter.

"Oh, well I'll have to see if I'm doing anything with the girls." Lily tugged at her glove, now staring at the ground with a disappointed look on her face.

"You can bring them along if you'd like," James offered.

"We'll see." She forced a smile and then headed quickly back to the warm castle.

"You're an idiot." Sirius announced once she was gone.

"What? Why?"

"I'm not even going to bother."


	3. December 3

December 3

Lily had fallen asleep on one of the soft armchairs near the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. Her homework was spread out before her and many of the essays were half finished and due in two days. James debated about whether or not he should wake her. He sunk down into the couch next to her and gently stacked some of her homework so he could set up camp as well. He was in the middle of a difficult Potion's essay when Lily stirred.

"Hey," James greeted, his eyes were glassy and no longer able to focus on his potions text.

"You should have woken me," Lily told him shifting in the chair, her back aching from the awkward position she had been sleeping in.

"You looked peaceful," James looked up at her, her face was slightly flushed.

"What are you working on?"

"I was trying to write the potions essay, but I give up. I just don't understand what Slughorn wants us to cover."

"He's having us pretty much recycle an essay from fifth year." Lily's eyebrows crinkled together in confusion. "You do still have your potions book from a couple years ago, don't you?"

"Er," James hesitated. He had burned it as soon as his O.W.L. results had come through.

"You can borrow mine," Lily pushed it towards him. "If I were you, I'd focus on the main effects of Moonstone in potion making and then show how those effects are applicable to the potion we'll be making in class."

"Thanks."

They worked side by side for several more hours until James started drifting off to sleep. Lily smiled and gently pulled his head into her lap, he was too tired to notice. She gently ran her fingers through his already messy hair and he drifted off into a peaceful slumber. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked along for another hour, overcome by an urge to do something with the man she was slowly falling in love with, she pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. The gesture was something James would remember as nothing more than a dream.


	4. December 4

December 4

A shout came from the boys' dorm above and a few heads lifted to see who was shouting so loudly early in the morning. Many of the people in the common room were grouped around the fire, for an early morning chill had settled itself in the Scottish countryside. Sirius burst down the stairs with one leg in his pants, a coat over his bare chest, and a scarf tied firmly around his head.

"Snow!" He shouted excitedly racing for the portrait hole. James, Peter, and Remus appeared to drag him back upstairs before he froze.

"Let's finish getting dressed," Remus explained. Lily's eyes followed the group back up the stairs and once everyone had looked away, she hurried up the stairs after them.

Upon her knock, there was a call of "come in." She gently pushed the door open, covering her eyes just in case. "Is everyone decent?"

"For the most part," Remus replied and she looked up to see boys tugging on shirts, socks, and shoes.

"You're going out to have a snowball fight right?" She asked, her green eyes lighting up with joy.

"Yeah, you want to join?" Peter asked excitedly, his arm was stretched under his bed searching for something.

"I'd love to," she waved her wand and a bundle of clothing landed in her arms. "I'll be using your bathroom, so you won't be able to pee for a bit."

"I think we can hold it," Sirius chuckled.

Several minutes later Lily bounded out and threw herself on the nearest bed. She stretched out and threw her pajamas to the base.

"Whose bed is this? It's softer than mine," she took a deep breath, "and it smells fantastic."

"That would be mine," James raised his hand, hoping she wouldn't notice his completely red face.

"I want to live in your bed, is that okay?" She hugged his pillow to her chest, reveling in the fluffiness. James spluttered and didn't seem able to form words.

"I'm sure he'd love that," Peter replied with a wide grin and laughter barely contained.

"Let's go throw some snowballs!" Sirius called running for the steps once more. Lily bounced out of James' bed and grabbed his hand, pulling him after their friend.


	5. December 5

December 5

"What is up with school so close to the Holidays?" James whined throwing himself down onto the couch next to Lily who was reading quietly.

"We're basically going to a boarding school, what did you expect?"

"There are other kinds of schools?" James sat up slightly.

"In the muggle world, yes." Lily put the piece of paper in her book and tossed it onto the table. "There's private schools, boarding schools, schools for different ages, art schools, culinary schools, public schools, tech schools, colleges, universities, and a few more."

"Was it your dream to go to all of them?"

"No, not all of them. I went to a public school before I came here, and this is a boarding school. Some private schools have a boarding option, but I wouldn't have wanted to leave my family. I think that if I had grown up as a muggle rather than finding out about my abilities, well then, I might have gone to a tech or culinary school. I really like cooking and maybe it's why Potions comes so easily to me, it's just like making a batch of cookie dough or a soup."

"Do soups generally take a month to cook?" James asked and Lily laughed.

"No they don't, but it's the same in theory."

"What about college or university?"

"Well, maybe if I didn't go to culinary school or chose a different field. When I think about being in the magical world, I want to make a difference, I want to be an Auror so maybe I would be a muggle police man."

"They turn you into a man?"

"What-no, no. They call the job a police man but plenty of women have gone into it as well. They're generally called the police or bobby's rather than making it a gender role." Lily paused. "What would you be?"

"I don't know, all the jobs seem so confusing."

"You wouldn't want to be an athlete?"

"They have sports in the muggle world?"

"Of course they do!" Lily exclaimed. "You've surely heard of Rugby, that one squib wrote a whole book about it and the Wizarding World sort of adopted in that sport but none of them really try to play it."

"Oh yeah, I've heard of rugby."

"And what about Basketball? Cricket? Football? American Football? Swimming? Ice-skating? Rollerblading?" James quickly cut her off.

"Okay, I get it. There are a lot of sports out there." James smiled softly reaching out a hand to grab hers. "Perhaps you'll have to take me to watch these games sometime."

"Perhaps I will."


	6. December 6

December 6

"Aren't you coming to class?" James asked after lunch, the marauders were pulling on their winter things to prepare for Herbology.

"I uh, I think I'm going to cut class today." Lily mumbled

"What?" They froze in place, staring at her as though she were crazy.

"I've done it before," Lily protested.

"It's just unusual." Remus narrowed his eyes.

"I hate the cold okay, I don't mind being outside when I'm doing something with friends, like our snowball fight, but I don't really want to go out there for class." Lily folded her arms.

"Take my coat then," James offered.

"Then you'll be cold, I couldn't let you do that."

"Why don't you just share the coat, it's big enough." Peter suggested. James and Lily exchanged a look.

-oOo-

Laughter echoed down the sparkling, mushed snow towards the students already waiting outside the Herbology greenhouses.

"I can hardly walk like this," Severus heard Lily say.

"I can carry you," James offered.

"That would be worse." There was a small scream as James apparently picked Lily up against her will. "James!"

"I'm kidding,"

"You're so mean."

"Mean? I'm the one keeping you warm."

"Peter suggested it,"

"This isn't my fault!" The smallest of the group squeaked. It was quiet for a while as they slid down the steepest part of the hill, attempting to not fall.

"I feel silly," Lily confessed.

"I think it's funny we're the ones pretty much dragging you to class when you wanted to cut. It feels backwards," Sirius commented. There was a splattering noise as he apparently threw a snowball at someone.

"Sic him Moony," James said jokingly. Two boys came rolling down the snowy hill towards those still taking Herbology, they were wrestling each other, pushing snow into the others' clothes. The other three appeared, Lily wrapped tightly in front of James inside his coat. They were waddling across the grounds what with the awkward position; James kept blowing on Lily's hair.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to melt the snow Sirius got in your hair."

"It's not working." Lily told him burying herself further back into his chest.

"Worth a try."


	7. December 7

December 7

"Lily," James whispered poking her shoulder.

"Go away," She mumbled resituating herself.

"I wouldn't fall asleep in McGonagall's class if I were you." He warned.

"I didn't get to bed till almost 2 last night, let me sleep."

"This is McGonagall though," James hissed shaking her more violently. Her eyes flew open and she glared at him.

"Right now, I don't care. I wanna sleep."

"Lily,"

"Miss Evans, what are you doing?" McGonagall had seen and James was quickly shrinking away from her.

"Sleeping," Lily mumbled. Minerva pursed her lips and stared at Lily for a long while.

"Alright, I want you to go back to your dorm and sleep properly for a couple hours. Mr. Potter here will deliver a set of detailed notes to you at dinner."

"What?" James yelped in shock.

"You heard me, Miss Evans, to your dorm please."

-oOo-

Later in the night, Lily could be found in the Hospital Wing with Madame Pomfrey as she attempted to diagnose her symptoms. The Marauders and Marlene waited outside the door for the final diagnosis. James wondered how McGonagall had seen what he had not. He had to learn to be more observant so he could help her in the future, he didn't want this kind of a thing to happen again.


	8. December 8

December 8

"Are you feeling better today?" James asked when Lily appeared from the girls dorms.

"Yeah, much better." She smiled and wrapped her hands tighter around the strap of her bag.

"Do you think you'll be up to coming with us to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Sirius, Remus, and Peter all hit themselves in the head at the same time making Lily giggle, she could tell they understood why she was hesitant.

"I'm honestly not sure, Marly and I might just do something that weekend. I haven't seen her in a really long time. She's been in the Auror training program for a year now," Lily stared down at the floor, hoping he might pick up on what she really wanted, but he didn't.

"Oh well, okay. Just let us know," James' smile faltered for a moment.

Sirius hit his head hard against the wall of the common room and most of the occupants looked over to see what was going on. Once Lily had slid through the portrait hole Remus glared at James.

"What?"

"You are such an idiot Prongs." Peter announced before heading for the door.

"What did I do?" Sirius and Remus both rolled their eyes and followed Peter leaving behind a very perplexed James Potter.


	9. December 9

December 9

"Wait a minute," James said suddenly while they were studying in the library the next day. His friends looked up, wondering what was going on. "Does Lily not want to come to Hogsmeade with us because she doesn't like me?"

"So close," Peter groaned.

"He's so stupid," Sirius' face hit the table and James wondered if he had managed to break his nose again.

"I'm not sure whether we should just tell him or not," Remus' chair slammed back to the ground from where he had been leaning back in it.

"What am I missing? How do you guys possibly know what is going on and I don't?"

"Look, Lily really wanted to be asked to Hogsmeade by you." Remus tried to explain.

"But I did," James countered.

"No I mean-" Sirius cut him off.

"What he means is that Lily wanted to go to Hogsmeade with you and only you, not as a group excursion."

"What?"

"She wanted you to ask her on a date Prongs." Peter finally stated outright.

"Oh," then all the information seemed to hit him at once, "_oh_."

-oOo-

"Hey Lily," James had entered the common room to see Lily hiding in one of the corners, hunched over her homework and writing furiously.

"James,"

"So I was wondering if maybe tomorrow, you wanted to make our Hogsmeade visit just for the two of us, like a date or a friend hang out. Whatever you're comfortable with," his hand was in his hair again, his neck flaring with heat.

"Oh, alright. That'd be really nice," she smiled up at him and James felt his mouth open in surprise slightly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, just make sure you plan something nice for our date alright? No Madame Puddifoot's or I will hurt you."

"Got it," he was grinning broadly as he gently floated over to the fire to work on some of his own homework.


	10. December 10

December 10

"No way, he didn't." Lily was laughing as they walked up the main street in Hogsmeade, their arms were laden with Honeydukes warm confectionaries and small firecrackers from Zonkos which they would plant under Sirius' pillow later in the afternoon.

"Oh but he did, McGonagall was livid."

"Did it chase her around the castle?"

"Oh yeah, it was unlucky she had transformed and her first instinct was to run rather than turn back."

"Did he manage to change the dog back?"

"Barely."

"How much detention was he given?"

"Sirius actually managed to convince McGonagall it was me and I didn't argue, so I'm in detention for a week."

"You didn't tell her what actually happened?"

"Sirius must've had a reason for it, it's not that big of a deal."

"If you're sure." It went silent for several moments. Lily took a deep breath, "I've had a lot of fun today."

"You're not leaving are you?"

"Oh I thought,"

"If you want to go you can."

"No I want to stay here with you."

"Really?"

"Definitely."

"You want to stop in at the Three Broomsticks and warm up?"


	11. December 11

December 11

"Lily you can't sleep now, there's too much homework to finish."

"Oh shut up, you wore me out yesterday."

"We were back to the castle by six."

"And then you dragged me up to your room and we played all those games with your dorm mates until two in the morning."

"But it was fun,"

"Yes it was, but now it's your turn to let me sleep."

It was quiet for a long while, James didn't appear to be doing homework any more than Lily despite the fact he was wide awake.

"What are you doing for the Holidays?"

"Hm?"

"Christmas, are you going home?"

"Oh no, I'm staying here for my final year."

"Do you maybe want to come home with me and the boys so you can have someone around?"

"I suppose that would be fun."

"I'll let my mum know,"

"Now sleep,"

"Alright lazy." Lily hummed in agreement before drifting off completely, not knowing James was watching her peaceful form.


	12. December 12

December 12

"Does it have to be Monday again?" Sirius whined as they stepped into the Great Hall for lunch.

"We have about 52 Monday's a year you know," Lily replied as she passed them on her own way to get food.

"How do you know that?"

"There's 52 weeks in a year." She looked at him with an amused expression. "Is it a muggle thing to know simple maths?"

"How is that simple maths?" James looked just as confused as Sirius and Peter, Remus was shaking his head.

"I wouldn't try to get anything remotely muggle over on these three, they're not terribly bright when it comes to subjects Hogwarts doesn't teach."

"Oh please, we could understand this maths, even if you only showed us how to do it once." Sirius challenged. Lily and Remus shared a look and then they both grinned. For the next few hours, in between classes, they would quickly show the boys how to do a bit of Algebra or Geometry and then let them handle it from there. Sirius got so frustrated at one point, he set the parchment on fire. Needless to say, none of the boys understood maths by the end of the day.


	13. December 13

December 13

"So what's some other things muggles do?" Peter asked upon seeing Remus and Lily sitting quietly doing homework.

"You got pretty frustrated yesterday with maths, you expect us to teach you more?" Lily looked up at him with a laugh playing on her lips.

"Well, maybe we should start with something not so hard." He said blushing lightly.

"What do you think Remus?"

"I don't know what we'd teach him."

"Chemistry and Biology are much too hard." Lily agreed.

"Muggle School expects a lot more out of you than Hogwarts in reality."

"They have several page papers, somewhere around 5 feet of parchment."

"In depth analysis of various subjects, often a hundred page text you have to read within a couple short weeks."

"Sometimes several hundred page texts,"

"More often they're the longer ones."

Peter ran screaming from the library, Madame Pince just stared, she had never seen anyone lose it quite like Peter just had and it didn't appear as though anyone had caused it. Lily and Remus high fived, before returning to their mundane magical homework.


	14. December 14

December 14

"Do we really have to suffer through this week? Can't we all just die and be done with it?" Lily groaned throwing herself forward onto the table by the fire and nearly tipping over James' ink bottle.

"Just think, in eleven days you will be at my house having roast duck with the marauders."

"Roast duck?"

"It's a Christmas classic."

"Your family sure is fond of expensive dishes."

"It's Christmas, extra expense is expected." James grinned and Lily looked down at the ground. She had already bought James' present but it wasn't something expensive and she was sure it wasn't something he expected now. "What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing, nothing."

"Lily,"

"I'm not rich okay." She stood up and strode over to one of the tower windows.

"I never said you have to be." He was obviously confused.

"You're obviously expecting something extravagant for Christmas though because you have money and your friends probably do too." Lily's lower lip was trembling slightly. "I can't give that to you."

"You think we all have money and that I expect something to have a large amount of monetary value to be extravagant?" James almost wanted to laugh, but he could sense now was not the time.

"Isn't that what you just said?" Lily turned to him. "Extra expense is expected?"

"In terms of food," his hand flew to his hair. "Lily, presents have to come from the heart or they aren't worth a darn knut. If you think we have money, Sirius was estranged from his family, the only money he has is what his Uncle Alfred left him when he died. I only have money because my parents are rich. Remus and his family barely have enough to get by. I'm not sure Peter really has anything, yet they always manage to get me something and that's all I ask. It's all I care about. I don't care you buy the newest broom on the lot, because if you don't have the money then I don't deserve it."

Lily buried her face in his chest and he wrapped her up tightly.

"You're amazing, I hope you know that." Lily told him, not daring to look at his face.

"Thank you."


	15. December 15

December 15

There was a tapping on one of the windows of the Gryffindor Common room, an eager first year opened the window letting in a blast of cold wind and swirling snow, along with a brown barn owl. It swooped through the area before coming to land in front of James, a scroll tied to his expecting leg. As he read the message his eyes widened in shock before his anger got the better of him, crumpling the paper and throwing it to the side, narrowly missing Sirius' head. His friend picked it up to read while James was storming towards the boys dorms, Lily came down the stairs just as he reached them and she put out a hand to stop him.

"What's the matter?" James gently curled his hand around her wrist and yanked her up the stairs with him, he didn't want to break down in the common room.

Sirius chucked the letter into the fireplace and quickly followed James and Lily upstairs, Remus and Peter on his heels. James had sunk down onto his bed and Lily was leaning over him, gently running her fingers through his already messy hair, he looked broken and only Sirius seemed to understand what was going on, based by the way he had thrown himself onto his own bed.

"James," Lily whispered tipping his head upward so she could look at him, he tried to pull away, but she pulled him back. "What's going on?"

"My dad passed away this morning," James' voice cracked halfway through and she could see tears boiling up in the corners of his eyes. Lily gently pulled him towards her and let him hold her, Remus was watching her closely and she had a feeling he knew. Peter had gone over to comfort Sirius who looked as though he were trying to suffocate himself under his pillow.

No one said anything, nothing needed to be said. All they knew was they were about to be two members short in the next couple of days, Christmas couldn't come sooner.


	16. December 16

December 16

"Well this is a downer Friday." Sirius announced, James and Sirius had been relieved from classes so they could pack, the latter was putting it off. It appeared as though James had permanently locked himself in his dorm room. Lily kept glancing at the stairs as though he would suddenly appear. She had lost her father when she was fifteen, but James didn't seem to want to try and connect with anyone. Remus and Peter had skipped their last couple classes to be with their friends, Lily had been sitting in the same spot all day.

"I'm going up there." Lily announced, finally standing.

"He doesn't want to talk to anyone, he barely said a word this morning." Peter warned.

"I never said he had to talk to me."

She didn't bother knocking, he wasn't going to respond anyway. As Lily entered, James didn't even so much as look up. She pursed her lips and kneeled on the opposite side of his bed, staring at him as he stared at something he was holding. After sitting there for several minutes, James moved and set several things in his open trunk and Lily took her cue.

"You're not alone you know." He glanced up at her for a few moments. "I don't know if you remember or not, but I lost my father too. He died when I was fifteen. I was unresponsive for about a month and then you were finally the first person to get me to talk because you pulled on the ponytail I had managed to put my short hair into and it fell out. It wasn't really so much talking as yelling, but everyone was glad to know I was still somewhat human."

Lily laughed lightly, for a second she thought she saw his mouth twitch a bit.

"You don't have a ponytail for me to pull, but I know how important it is that you talk. After that I was able to accept what was going on. I'm losing my mother too, she's gone downhill fast after my dad died, and I feel as though she's in danger just by being associated with me as well. The mudblood witch who abandoned her family-" She was cut off by James.

"Don't call yourself that." She looked over at him, he was staring at her very intently.

"What?"

"Don't call yourself that disgusting word, being muggleborn doesn't make you any less human than the rest of us."

Lily looked down at the floor. "I don't mind the word, it's just a name made by pureblood supremacists who are jealous they can't live in the same world."

"Well it bothers me, so I'd like it if you didn't use it."

They were silent for a while and James threw more things into his trunk, Lily leaned across the bed and wrapper her fingers around his wrist.

"I need you to tell me the truth," she paused, waiting until he nodded slightly. "Are you okay?"

"No."

"Feel better?"

"A lot actually." James looked up at her and smiled,

"You'll be fine." Lily pressed a kiss to his cheek and then left the dormitory, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her own shoulders.


	17. December 17

December 17

"You're leaving tomorrow then." Remus stated as they curled into the chairs by the fire after a last snowball group snowball fight for the year at Hogwarts.

"And Sirius still hasn't packed," James crossed his arms as he settled in next to Lily on the couch.

"I'm protesting his death by refusing to believe it's true." Sirius announced pretending to hold up a picket sign.

"So basically, he doesn't want to leave Hogwarts but at the same time he wants to enjoy Christmas with his friends so he's not going to pack anything until an hour before he leaves and half of the things he needs will be still at Hogwarts." Lily summed up, the four boys looked at her in surprise. "I've done it before, nothing new."

"I feel like we should send you to pack for him." Peter told her.

"No way, the only man's underwear I will ever see myself touching is Ja-just my husband's." Lily's face was quickly turning red, they had all heard her stutter but only Remus seemed to be cluing in on what she had been about to say. "I'm going to go start packing my things for when we leave next Wednesday."

"That was really weird," James narrowed his eyes, watching her rush up the girls' dorm stairs. Remus coughed awkwardly but didn't say anything.

"So is the funeral a black tie affair?"

"Yeah, it's a good thing I have Sirius or I'd never be able to attend. I'm not sure how good a tie he'll make though," James joked weakly and the marauders smiled, they were all going to be alright.


	18. December 18

December 18

"You'll be alright for us all to come and spend Christmas with you?" Lily asked as James stood in the common room waiting for Sirius to join him so they could go to Dumbeldore's office.

"Yes, we'll be fine. Things will have been taken care of by the twenty-first so we should be all set for enjoying the Christmas holiday."

"It'll be different, you won't have your father."

"But I'll have you with us this year,"

"I hardly make up for the existence of your father."

"No, but you do fill one more chair and it's just what my mum needs."

"You're sure?"

"There's no guarantee there won't be tears from everyone, including me. I swear, if you can manage to get my waterworks going they won't shut off for a while."

"Oh something new for me to try," Lily grinned up at him.

"I didn't meant to give you any ideas." James laughed throwing an arm around her shoulders. She poked him in the stomach.

"Now you got to tell me your weakness mister."

"Not going to happen,"

"You're so mean," Lily jabbed him again.

"If you don't know his weakness by now Lils then you don't pay attention to dear James here." Sirius announced from the staircase as he and the rest of the gang came down to say their last goodbyes until the twenty-first.

"He's a hard one to figure out." Lily complained. The boys exchanged looks and Remus rubbed his ear awkwardly.

"Well, go and get what you need to done." Peter smiled at his friends.

"It's only three days, I'm sure we all can survive without each other for a little while right?" James looked as though his eyes were turning slightly red behind his square rimmed glasses.

"We'll be ready to leave tomorrow," Remus joked.

"Good luck Prongs, Padfoot." Peter clapped them both on the shoulder.

"Bye Sirius, I'll miss you." Lily wrapped him in a tight hug before turning to James. "Hang in there, things will start to pick up."

Lily leaned upwards and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before stepping back and waving them off. For a second she thought James wanted to say something else, but then he turned and was gone and she was left alone with a very cold feeling.


	19. December 19

December 19

"How long have you been in love with him?" Remus asked as he sat down next to Lily in the library to complete the last minute Christmas Holiday assignments.

"What?" She looked up at him, her brain not quite processing what was going on as she had been in the zone for writing.

"How long have you been in love with James?"

"Oh, well, how long have you known?"

"I really started to figure it out when you were hesitant to spend the day with us all on the weekend to Hogsmeade."

"Have I been that obvious?"

"No, Sirius didn't realize anything until you comforted him when his father died, Peter just put the pieces together today, and I have the feeling James is just very confused."

"So James is the only one who doesn't understand."

"After the kiss I'm sure he's starting to clue in, but I bet he's just confused about your intentions. The poor boy has gotten his hopes up more times than we could ever count," Remus smiled at her.

"I've really hurt him over the years haven't I?"

"Well I can tell you one thing, if James manages to figure it out, you'll know on Wednesday."

"I'm not sure whether I should hope for it or not." They both laughed lightly.

"I say follow your heart,"

"You're a really smart guy."

"I try my best."

"So you need help on any essays?"


	20. December 20

December 20

"Okay, I swear I'm going to murder the next person who hits me with a snowball." Lily growled as they crossed the wide expanse of lawn, they had gone down to visit Hagrid in the afternoon, only to find out he was spending the day caring for some injured animals in the forest.

"Calm down, it's only one more day without him." Peter joked bumping her lightly with his shoulder.

"I didn't know it would be this hard to be separated from someone who isn't even my boyfriend."

"Oh please, you guys have been having eye sex for a month now." Remus snorted. Both of them gasped in mock surprise. "You both know my crude side, stop acting as though it's some new discovery."

"Your crude side is like Sirius on a good day, I think you miss your friend like I miss James."

"You would think it'd be good to be away from him for a while, but he tends to grow on you and then you miss all of his bad jokes and the way he makes you question whether you should really be friends with him."

"You almost sound like you're-"

"James has mentioned that all too often, I promise I am completely straight."

"That wasn't what I was going to say, but okay." Lily was laughing at him.

"What were you going to say then?" Remus stopped and stared.

"I like your answer much better, I'm not asking."

"I want to know,"

"Come on Peter, let's go find something we haven't packed yet." Lily waved to Remus, while he stared after her wondering what she could have possibly been thinking.


	21. December 21

December 21

As the train rolled into the station, Lily, Remus, and Peter searched the platform for their friends. Once the duo were spotted, they waved wildly out the window until they had no choice but to notice them as everyone on the platform already had. James grinned and waved back, Sirius disappeared back into the crowd to presumably find James' mother.

"He knows," Remus whispered in Lily's ear as they pulled their trunks down from the luggage racks.

"What?" Lily looked at him, their conversation the day before ringing in her head.

"He knows," Peter repeated sliding open the compartment door so he could slide out in the next available opening.

"Anything wrong?" Remus looked worriedly at Lily as she had frozen in place and her knees looked as though they were shaking.

"What am I going to do? He knows, how do I react? How do I-" Lily swallowed and looked up at him in shock. "I'm not even going to be able to speak to him!"

"Relax Lily, you'll be fine."

"Right I'll just play it cool, act like I don't know he knows. I can do that." Lily strode out the compartment, almost walking right into a pair of twelve year olds and Remus knew the encounter was not going to end well.

When James and Lily finally saw each other, uninhibited by any of the other passengers, it was as though they had forgotten where and who they were. Lily dropped her trunk in the middle of the walkway and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. James lifted her off the ground and buried his face in her neck, happy to see her after only a few short days of separation.

"I missed you," Lily whispered when he set her down on the stone flooring.

"Did you now?" James teased. "I missed you too Evans."

"Oh we're back to that now, are we Potter?"

"I love you," He whispered before crashing his lips to hers. She was surprised at first, but it just felt so right to be standing there without a care in the world, kissing the only boy who had never given up on her.

"Lily I can't believe you just left your trunk back there like that, anyone could have taken things out of it." Remus hadn't been paying attention when he walked up to his two friends, when his eyes landed on them his face started turning a light shade of red. "Sorry."

He rubbed the side of his head awkwardly just as Sirius, Peter, and Mrs. Dorea Potter emerged from the crowd. James and Lily broke apart, both feeling as though they had been caught in a worse situation.

"Are we all ready to go home?" Mrs. Potter asked, attempting to hide her amused smile.


	22. December 22

December 22

"So, the ceiling is interesting." Lily complimented. The group of five had quickly run out of things to do inside the manor, so they had laid down on the floor to look up at the arched roof. A brilliant chandelier was in the middle of it and they carefully avoided looking at it so as to not see green spots everywhere they looked.

"Because it's vaulted?" Sirius scoffed.

"James, your house is boring." Peter stated what they were all thinking.

"I'll have to let my mother know." James closed his eyes and reached out, searching for Lily's hand; when he caught it, he gently slid his fingers through hers.

"Do you lot want to go outside?" Remus suggested.

"Better than nothing." Lily yawned sitting up and forcing James with her. He teasingly started tipping over on her and she screamed, causing the other three to draw their wands in defense. Lily peered around her boyfriend at them and giggled. "Good to know you all care about me."

Once they were all outside and sitting on some of the garden benches, it wasn't any more interesting than the ceiling had been inside.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Lily asked shifting the gloves on her hands.

"Snowman snowball!" The marauders burst out together.

"What?" Lily was extremely confused.

"It's this game we made up, you're going to have to play with us." Peter's eyes lit up with glee.

"And you're not allowed to be on James' team." Sirius pointed an accusing finger at Lily.

"You're only saying that so you can give me the chance to prove I can whip his butt at a game he invented." Lily teased winking at James, his jaw dropped open in surprise.

"I knew there was a reason we kept you around." Sirius pulled her into a tight hug, laughing brightly.

"So how do you play this 'Snowman Snowball'?"

"We build forts on either side of the garden with a snowman in the middle. We usually use magic for the first part so we can play quicker." Remus explained. "Then each team separates and they build their arsenal of snowballs. Each team tries to get to the center of the playing field to tackle the snowman, which wins the game. The stipulation is, if you're hit with a snowball from the opposing side then you have to return to your base before going out again."

"I'm thinking James and Sirius are at an advantage here." Lily was examining the playing field and the boys behind her.

"Why is that?" Remus looked at her, head cocked slightly.

"James is a chaser and Sirius is a beater, they have to have insanely good aim."

"How did we never think of that?" Peter hit himself in the face with his gloved hand.

"You always played James and Sirius versus Peter and Remus?" Lily was giggling.

"This is why we needed you around sooner," James leaned forward to kiss her, but Sirius pushed them apart.

"No kissing the opposing team Lily."

"Alright, alright." Lily held up her hands then quickly blew James a kiss, bounding over to the right side of the playing field.

"This is all your fault." Sirius pointed an accusing finger at his friend.

"I'm not even going to deny it." James grinned sheepishly.


	23. December 23

December 23

"You okay Remus?" Lily asked sitting down for breakfast.

"Yeah I'm fine." He groaned.

"He's just feeling a little sick." Sirius explained.

"He seemed fine yesterday,"

"How long have you known Remus?" Peter asked.

"Since we were eleven, obviously." Lily was confused. "If you're talking about whether I know about him being a werewolf-"

The three boys stared up at her in shock.

"I got curious last year after some things happened and I did some research. I'm sorry I never asked, or if I'm just assuming that's what you are and you're not because then I'd feel bad."

"No I am, I was just shocked. Not many people know," He placed his head back down on the table, staring at the jar of syrup in agony.

"I had no idea being a werewolf would be like having a period though."

"What?" Sirius' mouth was hanging open, eggs halfway to his mouth.

"First you get really sick and everything hurts, then you get emotional and annoyed easily-usually tied with excessive tiredness as well, finally you get sexual cravings as it all ends off."

"Why are we talking about this?" Peter was turning red.

"Because I was comparing it to Remus' problem. He's really sore today, tomorrow he'll probably be really moody, and then he'll change into something totally opposite on Christmas."

"That actually makes some sense," Sirius complimented.

"I am a werewolf who suffers transformations, not a man with a period." Remus stated just as James walked in.

"Lily was talking about her period." Peter explained, it was Lily's turn to flush red.

"Right, I'm just going to ignore whatever was going on before I entered the room." James leaned down to kiss the top of Lily's head as he settled into a chair and pulled plates of food towards him. "What are we going to do today?"

"Die," Remus muttered. Lily reached into her bag and pulled out a small bottle, dumping some of the contents onto her hand, she set it on the table in front of him.

"This is some muggle medicine I use. Just try it and see if it'll help."

"Thanks," Remus swallowed the two pills quickly before hitting his head on the table again.

"It didn't work Lily," Sirius announced.

"It doesn't work within seconds, it'll take about a half hour to be in full effect. Honestly," She shook her head and it was silent for a long while. Dorea came shuffling back into the dining room to refill plates with food and Lily had to wonder just how much she thought they would eat.

"Lily you are a miracle worker," Remus grimaced pulling some food towards him.

"I try," Lily smiled. "What do you boys say to playing some muggle board games for the day?"

"A day in the house sounds wonderful." James smiled over at her.

"I'll put the kettle on for Hot Chocolate." Dorea called from the kitchen, humming various Christmas tunes with great cheer.


	24. December 24

December 24

"This is weird," Lily stated as she stared down at the modest dinner in front of her.

"What?" James looked up, a piece of meat hanging from his mouth.

"Well, it's just that my family celebrates things a little differently."

"Oh?" Remus looked up with curiosity etched on his graying features.

"My family has the giant Christmas feast the day before Christmas so we can enjoy the holiday together as a family, rather than making a lot of food."

"Your family thinks like a master. You have leftovers on Christmas, don't you?" Sirius pointed his fork at her.

"Yes, it's rather nice being able to relax."

"What else do you do?" Peter inquired.

"On Christmas Eve we always get to open one present and it's a pair of pajamas, but we never figured out that every year it was the same thing until we got older and started to see the pattern."

"Are these muggle traditions dear?" Dorea asked reaching for one of the smaller dishes.

"No ma'am. Every muggle family will celebrate Christmas differently and when the children get married they have two traditions to combine to make their own. Everything is quite original."

"Next year we'll have to celebrate it your way." Peter told her with a finality which wasn't to be questioned.

"We'll call it Lily's Christmas." James grinned over at her, a warm atmosphere filling the whole room.


	25. December 25

December 25

Lily's mouth was open as she stared at the velvety box and its contents. It shimmered in the low morning light and Lily couldn't help but wonder how much thought James had put into such a gift. The door burst open and four boys came spilling into her room laughing brightly. James looked up to see Lily tearing up and his smile fell, he tumbled forward, tripping over the carpet to get to her. She dropped the box and threw herself around his neck.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

"You're welcome." James wrapped his arms tightly around her as his eyes fell on the box sprawled on the bed. She pulled away just far enough to press her mouth firmly against his in a soft kiss.

"I-" Lily hesitated. "My present is nothing like yours."

"You're right, it's so much better." James grinned and it's when she noticed, he was wearing the sweater she had knitted for him with her wand. She had finished it a couple days before after they had further explained into Remus' condition. A little wolf, stag, rat, and dog were chasing each other around the edges of it, acting as they should in the wild.

"He never showed us what he got you, I wanna know." Sirius complained, the matching scarves for the boys were tied tightly around their necks, she wondered if Remus was actually suffocating.

"It's a locket," Lily gingerly moved away from James and picked up the box holding it out.

"Just a locket?" He looked disappointed.

"It's so much more," Lily said quietly opening the clasp on the side and staring down at the ever changing faces of everyone she loved.

"Well, anyway. Any ideas as to what we should do for the day?" Peter asked, Lily looked up at her friends, her eyes lingering on Remus.

"How about we do some more resting, after all you boys will have a long night tonight with Remus."

"I have too much pent up energy." Sirius complained.

"Then go chase a cat, but Remus and I are going to do the puzzle my mum sent me."


End file.
